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Ocala businessman now owns 9 of Silver Springs' glass-bottom boats

Verlon Jordan looks over the Chief Okehumpkee he purchased from the Silver Springs attraction before the state took over the park at his facility in Silver Springs on Thursday. Jordan, who bought nine glass bottom boats of various ages, hopes to find a good homes for them on area water ways.

Alan Youngblood/Star-Banner

By Andy FillmoreCorrespondent

Published: Friday, November 15, 2013 at 7:41 p.m.

Last Modified: Friday, November 15, 2013 at 7:41 p.m.

Nine of the world famous glass-bottom boats from Silver Springs now look oddly out of place on dry land.

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“I likely was a passenger in one of these boats myself,” said local contractor and businessman Verlon Jordan as he surveyed the craft he recently purchased and stored on his property eight miles southeast of the attraction.

Jordan was highest bidder for the craft in a recent auction by Palace Entertainment, the operators of the attraction before it became a state park on Oct. 1.

He listed the craft on the Ocala 4 Sale website — www.ocala4sale.com — in the hope someone will want to buy a piece of history.

The nine boats awarded in the bid included four “classic” enclosed boats with bench seats facing the bottom viewing panels, large windows and 12 portholes along each side. It also included four canvas-top boats primarily used on “jungle cruise” excursions.

Jordan found a manufacturer’s data plate that said the enclosed boats were made in 1965.

The ninth boat is an early example — likely circa 1920 — of a glass-bottom boat fashioned after a small houseboat, with a small sign that reads “Discovery Expedition” on the front and sides.

The four enclosed craft are named the Chief Osceola, Chief Reddick, Chief Yemasseee and Chief Okehumpkee; the four soft tops are the Anhinga, Ibis, Egret and Peregrine.

Jordan said the soft top Peregrine had literature indicating it had been manufactured in 1972.

The “Discovery Expedition” boat was once called “Billy Bo Legs,” Jordan said.

Each of the 40,000-pound pontoon style boats was hauled from its decades-long home on the Silver River to Jordan’s property separately on a flatbed truck in an operation that took three days.

“They were all on the water until we hauled them here,” Jordan said.

“We had to haul them over the Route 40 bridge near County Road 314. Some of these boats still had Christmas decorations on them from a past Ocala Christmas parade. We lost a five-foot-tall angel somewhere crossing the bridge,” Jordan said.

The boats measure 31 feet long by 12 feet wide and are powered by silent electric motors using two banks of batteries producing 36 volts per bank.

“The batteries in the ‘Discovery Expedition’ boat (circa 1920) are marked ‘Edison Company,’ and they are old. One bank of batteries can power the boat, and then the captain can switch to the second bank,” Jordan said.

Jordan, a Marion county resident since 1972, has dealt for over 25 years in dragon wood, a special wood harvested with permits from the Ocala National Forest and sold to manufacturers to make decorative artificial trees. The nine boats share the property with stacks of the spindly wood cuttings.

Jordan is asking $15,000 to $20,000 each for the boats, depending upon the condition. He said the raw salvage value of the aluminum in the craft should be $4,000 to $5,000 each.

“One lady from The Villages called with an interest in making a display planter out of one, and we’ve had a number of calls by people interested,” Jordan said.

At Silver Springs State Park, one of the boats is still on a stand in the center of the gardens, where it has served as a refreshment stand for many seasons.

Fort McCoy resident Oscar Collins, 67, has plied the Silver River as a glass-bottom boat captain for 44 years and continues to operate the craft now with the Florida State Park.

“We have about seven boats left here. I’m not nostalgic about it because we have enough boats to meet the current need,” Collins said.

On a recent weekday afternoon, two glass-bottom boats, the Chief Yoholo and Chief Micanopy, were at the spring-side dock with less than a dozen visitors seen in the park.

About 21 glass-bottom boats were kept busy providing a spectacular view of the springs for local residents and tourists from around the world in the 1960s and 1970s, the period Collins called the peak of the operation.

The Florida State Park website (www.floridastateparks.org/silversprings/activities) indicates the glass-bottom boat rides over the springs cost $9.99, and children six and under can ride for free.

<p>Nine of the world famous glass-bottom boats from Silver Springs now look oddly out of place on dry land.</p><p>“I likely was a passenger in one of these boats myself,” said local contractor and businessman Verlon Jordan as he surveyed the craft he recently purchased and stored on his property eight miles southeast of the attraction.</p><p>Jordan was highest bidder for the craft in a recent auction by Palace Entertainment, the operators of the attraction before it became a state park on Oct. 1.</p><p>He listed the craft on the Ocala 4 Sale website — www.ocala4sale.com — in the hope someone will want to buy a piece of history.</p><p>The nine boats awarded in the bid included four “classic” enclosed boats with bench seats facing the bottom viewing panels, large windows and 12 portholes along each side. It also included four canvas-top boats primarily used on “jungle cruise” excursions.</p><p>Jordan found a manufacturer's data plate that said the enclosed boats were made in 1965. </p><p>The ninth boat is an early example — likely circa 1920 — of a glass-bottom boat fashioned after a small houseboat, with a small sign that reads “Discovery Expedition” on the front and sides.</p><p>The four enclosed craft are named the Chief Osceola, Chief Reddick, Chief Yemasseee and Chief Okehumpkee; the four soft tops are the Anhinga, Ibis, Egret and Peregrine.</p><p>Jordan said the soft top Peregrine had literature indicating it had been manufactured in 1972.</p><p>The “Discovery Expedition” boat was once called “Billy Bo Legs,” Jordan said.</p><p>Each of the 40,000-pound pontoon style boats was hauled from its decades-long home on the Silver River to Jordan's property separately on a flatbed truck in an operation that took three days.</p><p>“They were all on the water until we hauled them here,” Jordan said.</p><p>“We had to haul them over the Route 40 bridge near County Road 314. Some of these boats still had Christmas decorations on them from a past Ocala Christmas parade. We lost a five-foot-tall angel somewhere crossing the bridge,” Jordan said.</p><p>The boats measure 31 feet long by 12 feet wide and are powered by silent electric motors using two banks of batteries producing 36 volts per bank.</p><p>“The batteries in the 'Discovery Expedition' boat (circa 1920) are marked 'Edison Company,' and they are old. One bank of batteries can power the boat, and then the captain can switch to the second bank,” Jordan said.</p><p>Jordan, a Marion county resident since 1972, has dealt for over 25 years in dragon wood, a special wood harvested with permits from the Ocala National Forest and sold to manufacturers to make decorative artificial trees. The nine boats share the property with stacks of the spindly wood cuttings.</p><p>Jordan is asking $15,000 to $20,000 each for the boats, depending upon the condition. He said the raw salvage value of the aluminum in the craft should be $4,000 to $5,000 each.</p><p>“One lady from The Villages called with an interest in making a display planter out of one, and we've had a number of calls by people interested,” Jordan said.</p><p>At Silver Springs State Park, one of the boats is still on a stand in the center of the gardens, where it has served as a refreshment stand for many seasons.</p><p>Fort McCoy resident Oscar Collins, 67, has plied the Silver River as a glass-bottom boat captain for 44 years and continues to operate the craft now with the Florida State Park.</p><p>“We have about seven boats left here. I'm not nostalgic about it because we have enough boats to meet the current need,” Collins said.</p><p>On a recent weekday afternoon, two glass-bottom boats, the Chief Yoholo and Chief Micanopy, were at the spring-side dock with less than a dozen visitors seen in the park.</p><p>About 21 glass-bottom boats were kept busy providing a spectacular view of the springs for local residents and tourists from around the world in the 1960s and 1970s, the period Collins called the peak of the operation.</p><p>The Florida State Park website (www.floridastateparks.org/silversprings/activities) indicates the glass-bottom boat rides over the springs cost $9.99, and children six and under can ride for free.</p>